This content has been archived. It may no longer be relevant
Do you know what a notary public does? The shortest possible answer: sign, stamp and witness.
A notary public, as you may know, is a person empowered to represent the state in select situations, namely the signing of documents and the execution of certain transactions. Real estate papers and visa applications may require the seal of a notary. Marriage licenses and birth certificates, too. In any transaction involving the state, the presence of the state is required at the moment of signing, and a notary can provide that presence.
In most states, anyone who fulfills a set of qualifications, pays a fee, and agrees to provide services for a set number of hours per week can become a notary public; this can be a major asset in isolated communities, where a trip to government offices might be a matter of many miles and hours. If the notary down the street watches you sign your papers, then signs and stamps as well, your transaction bears the imprimatur of the state, and will stand up under legal scrutiny.
Why am I writing about this? Because notarization is an essential part of some language services projects, and it’s important to think about it beforehand.
We at TrueLanguage deal mainly with larger-scale projects for industrial and commercial clients, but look above at the list of sample documents that require notarization. Marriage licenses. Birth certificates. Deeds. So many translation requests outside of B2B projects will be personal documents like these… and if the original document needed notarization, you can bet the translation will, too. A language service provider may offer document notarization services (as we do); if you’re a translation customer, be aware of your notarization requirements when seeking a quote or placing an order, because your project manager is sure to ask about them.
Another thing to be aware of: depending on the provider and the nature of the document, you may be charged for notarization. Why? Well, unless your language service provider is very conveniently located, the simple act of obtaining a notary’s seal means time away from the desk. Time away from the desk means driving, which means being subject to the vagaries of traffic… and as you may have heard during last week’s winter weather, here in Atlanta we have a slight traffic problem at the best of times. Notaries most often have other jobs or perform other services (at the bank, for instance); this can mean waiting in line. And if your LSP is notarizing a hard copy for you, unless you’re a local client, it follows that packaging and mailing will be the next steps, which equals yet more time away from the office workload. Some providers will comp this service, others will not, and still others will charge for notarization on a project-by-project basis. Find out in advance – the fee, if there is one, will likely be small.
Sign, stamp and witness… small things, but again, essential things. Don’t forget them!
